Smoke from wildfires burning elsewhere in the state will continue drifting into western Washington on Wednesday as a heat advisory goes into effect.
Smoke from wildfires burning elsewhere in the state will continue drifting into western Washington on Wednesday as a heat advisory is also in effect.
An air quality alert is in effect for seven Washington counties until 5 p.m. Thursday.
The greatest impacts are expected across the South Kitsap Peninsula, the South Sound, the Chehalis Valley, Seattle's Eastside, the foothill and valley communities, and parts of Hood Canal.
Early morning air quality remained unhealthy from Bellingham through Sedro-Woolley, Darrington, Granite Falls, Renton, Sammamish, Auburn, Tacoma, and Olympia.
LIVE UPDATES | Washington Air Quality Map
The South Sound is directly beneath the smoke plume, where air quality is generally the worst.
Meanwhile, areas north of Seattle along the waterways and the islands are seeing cleaner air, and the Pacific Coast has the cleanest air Wednesday morning.
But being near the water doesn't guarantee cleaner conditions. Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Quilcene, Brinnon, and parts of Hood Canal are also dealing with pockets of smoke.
Closer to the wildfires, air quality is much worse. Around Lake Wenatchee, Chelan, Winthrop, and Twisp, smoke is thick enough to reach hazardous levels, meaning it's unhealthy for everyone.
By Wednesday night, however, winds a few thousand feet above the ground will begin shifting, signaling the start of a pattern change. That will gradually push the smoke back to the east and allow cleaner air to work into western Washington.
Before that happens, though, it'll be another hot day, with a heat advisory in effect for most of western Washington until 10 p.m. Thursday.
Highs will reach around 90 degrees in Lakewood, Olympia, and Elma, with mid-90s expected around Omak and Chelan.
Along the coast, expect highs near 70 degrees with much cleaner air from Westport to Neah Bay. The islands may still see some smoke drifting in from British Columbia, but temperatures there will stay comfortable in the 70s.
Thursday will still be hot, but the shifting winds aloft will continue pushing more of the smoke eastward. Air quality should gradually improve, although hazy skies and pockets of smoke will likely linger, especially across the South Sound and the foothill communities.
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Parts of central Washington, including Ellensburg and Cle Elum, will also begin seeing some improvement. Even portions of Chelan and Okanogan counties may notice cleaner air at times.
That said, communities closer to active wildfires—including Chelan, Wenatchee, and Omak—will likely continue experiencing periods of smoky air.
A progressively stronger onshore flow will bring cooler, cleaner air back to Puget Sound day by day through the weekend, and the forecast looks great for enjoying the rest of summer.
Central Washington will also see temperatures ease later this week. However, the increasing winds that bring cooler air will also elevate wildfire danger by creating more favorable conditions for rapid fire spread.
